It’s one thing to be street-smart, but how do you choose the smartest street to buy a property on? Because that decision is critical to making a good investment, say the experts.

“You can change everything about a house – you can extend it, do it up or pull it down – but you can’t change its location and which street it’s on,” says Kim Quick, Sydney residential director of valuers Herron Todd White.

“You can buy a very pretty house, or make it pretty, but if the street doesn’t match it, then you might end up in the position you don’t want to be in: having the best house in the worst street. The choice of street should be a much higher priority that most people give it. It should be in the top three considerations, if not number one.”

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Some streets are obviously splendid places to have a house or apartment. Wolseley Road in Point Piper with its views of the harbour, for instance, is one of the world’s most expensive streets, with four of the top five sales in Sydney in 2014 totalling $135 million.

But it is not just about great views. “It can also be worth paying more for a good street with access to a park or public transport or nearby cafes, or one that’s all heritage properties on big blocks of land,” says Peter Kelaher of buyers’ agency Sydney PK Property Search and Negotiators. “You also want a street that’s quiet, might be lined with trees, doesn’t have a frontage of all garages facing the street, and has a good community feel.

At least 30 per cent of the buying decision about a house should be about the street.Peter Kelaher, buyers’ agent

“At least 30 per cent of the buying decision about a house should be about the street.”

Certainly, houses on streets regarded as more desirable regularly command higher prices than their neighbours’. The most expensive three-bedroom apartment on Kirribilli Avenue recently sold for $8 million; the priciest three-bedroom townhouse on nearby Upper Pitt Street went for $4.3 million. On favourite Garden Street, Alexandria, a two-bedroom property sold for $825,000 in September; a similar one on Wyndham Street went for $656,000. And a three-bedder on Yarrannabbe Avenue in Darling Point fetched $3.1 million; its equivalent on Darling Point Road went for $2.6 million.

A cul de sac is another plus, believes Patrick Bright of EPS Property Search. “Then you want one where the houses are consistently of a good standard, too; you don’t want a 100-year-old house standing next to one that’s been there 10 years. You also want to be close to the action but not right on the action.

“If there’s a two-hour parking restriction on the street, then you’re too close to it. You should also check it’s not a rat-run at night for traffic to take short-cuts through.”

It is all very well buying a rundown home to renovate, but the danger is, if the street isn’t worthy of your $100,000 renovation, it won’t be a value-add. “You need to be in a good street with lifestyle amenities to justify doing the work,” advises Simon Cohen of Cohen Handler. “Otherwise, you might be wasting your money.”

Streets of houses with wide frontages that sit well on level blocks are another good indication of a smart street. “Ideally, they should be north facing at the rear to capitalise on the winter sun,” Stuart Jones of Rose & Jones says. “And if there’s elevation, then it should have a view or outlook.”

Tastes can change too and these days, with the big shift towards apartment living, the best streets for apartments are usually close to lots of lifestyle options, believes Jones. They will often have cafes, drycleaners, convenience stores and grocers.

“People want a street that will complement their lifestyle,” he says.

OUR EXPERTS NOMINATE SOME OF SYDNEY’S BEST STREETS

HOUSES

Wolseley Road, Point Piper

Eurobin Street, Manly

Shell Cove Road, Neutral Bay

Kirribilli Avenue, Kirribilli

Burns Road, Wahroonga

Coolong Road and Wentworth Road, Vaucluse

Hopetoun Avenue and Spencer Road, Mosman

Telegraph Road, Pymble

Station Street, Windsor Street, Newtown

Garden Street, Gerard Street and Phillip Street, Alexandria

Gowrie Street, Rochford Street, Prospect Street, Erskineville

Brook Street and Dolphin Street, Coogee

Ocean Road, Palm Beach

Louisa Road, Birchgrove

APARTMENTS

Yarranabbe Road and New Beach Road, Darling Point

Macleay Street and Elizabeth Bay Road, Tusculum Street and

Wylde Street, Potts Point

Macquarie Street and Circular Quay, City

Cooper Street, Reservoir Street and Mary Street, Surry Hills

Source: Peter Kelaher, Simon Cohen, Stuart Jones

CASE STUDY: A SNAP IN DARLINGHURST

When builder Mark Griffiths decided to buy and renovate an old terrace, he chose what he believed to be the best street in Darlinghurst, Surrey Street, and started looking. And then as soon as he saw a house there for sale, he snapped it up.

“I think the street is one of the most important factors in choosing a house,” says Griffiths, 51, who bought the three-storey, 100-square-metre house at No. 60 with his wife Katrina, 43. “This street really attracted me; I think it’s the best street in the suburb.

“It’s one-way, it’s very quiet, it’s tree-lined, and it’s got an incredible bushland setting behind the Victorian terraces on one side, and on the other it has these large, beautiful Georgian homes. Then there’s a lovely little kids’ playground half-way down; at the end of the street you’ve got the vibrant Victoria Street with all its amazing cafes and restaurants.”

Griffiths decided the house’s location was so good, he ploughed tens of thousands of dollars into doubling its floor space by extending out the back and putting a fourth storey on top. He’s now selling the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home through agents BresicWhitney (Phone 0409 938 844) at auction on November 8 for more than $2 million.

“It’s now quite a palatial home in the best street,” says Griffiths, the director of Oakland Design and Construction. “You sit to the back of the house and you’re surrounded by bush, listening to the kookaburras and lorikeets and you could be anywhere!”